Editorial: New building woes

By The Chroncle Editoral Board
Students and employees of the bookstore are feeling the pinch after relocating to the new building named after Robert P. Matteucci or RPM, as mentioned in the front page story “Shrinking Pains.”
During the last few semesters, it seemed the bookstore employees were developing a decent system to deal with the overflow of students on certain days, but since being moved, the bookstore is trying to get back on track. For now, students will have to be patient until they work out the kinks.
Since the beginning of the fall semester, students were forced to wait hours to get inside the bookstore, just to wait again in the checkout line to get school supplies.
Bookstore employees are trying their best to get everyone through in a timely manner, but with system shutdowns and never ending lines, it is hard for employees to even assess how to deal with the issues faced by the new move.
Students have also had concerns about the new outdoor buyback window, because if students hope to sell their book back, he or she has to be prepared to wait in the elements for almost the same amount of time as buying books. This is not only an inconvenience to students outside, but also to people going inside because the line is right in front of the entrance to the building.
The bookstore is not a place for children, but some students are forced to bring their children with them if they do not have proper childcare. Standing in line with children adds a new level to the inconvenience, as children typically do not do well waiting in line for hours. This can cause a problem for the parent, and those around them. If the bookstore had more room and the lines went quicker, the parents at CNM would not have to worry about bringing their children along on what should be a quick errand.
The bookstore is not the only area of the RPM building that is way too small for incoming students, as even the culinary arts side of the building has cut corners. Culinary students need to have as much space as possible in order to be able to move around and maneuver quickly, which is not the case in the new building. Instead, students have to constantly tell each other the “right behind you” rule, or they would bump into one another with hot plates and knives in hand.
Hopefully, culinary art majors will not have to deal with an increase of on the job accidents, because no one wants to be burned or cut when going to class.
Administration needs to fix these issues over the semester so students coming back in the spring do not have to go through the absolute nightmare that happened this fall when attempting to get supplies from the bookstore.